USAID is required, by statute, court order and executive order, to utilize an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process to evaluate the potential impact of USAID’s activities on the environment prior to implementation. The agency must “fully take into account” environmental sustainability in designing and carrying out its development programs.
USAID fulfills these requirements through its environmental procedures. The procedures consist of (1) federal regulation (22 CFR 216), which defines USAID’s pre-implementation EIA process; and (2) mandatory operating policies set out in USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS), which define implementation of this process and follow-through requirements during project implementation. These source laws, regulations and policies are described in the links on the left navigation.